Save yourself by filing receipts

Wind back six months ago to the purchase of a brand spanking new pair of runners with a retail tag of $240.

Snaring them at a sale shaved a few dollars off but a reasonably expensive pair of shoes prompted me to safely file away the receipt.

Over the next few months the shoes were put to good use but the cushioning inside had slowly begun to crumble, which was very disappointing for a pricey pair of shoes and a brand I'd been with for more than a decade without any problems.

So time to take action - a few minutes spent sifting through a fat receipt file to find my proof of purchase, then taking some pictures of the damaged pair of shoes via an iPhone and finally I put it all together in an email to the shoe manufacturer explaining what had happened.

Within 30 minutes a "ding" on my phone and there was a prompt response by shoe giant's customer service department instructing me to take the shoes back to the retailer for them to assess the damage on the spot.

So off I went on a trip to the store armed with the runners, receipt and emails.

The shop assistant was only to happy to help saying it was not good enough a good pair of shoes just six months had already started to crumble.

The manager was called over assessed the shoes and paperwork and within a few minutes I was handed a brand new pair of shoes free of charge.

Customer service like this goes a very long way.

From the rapid response to the manufacturer apologising for the problem and then to the retailer replacing my runners, I was left one happy camper.

This will no doubt result in me purchasing the same brand of shoes again and also make me shop at the same retailer because of the top-class service.

But there's no doubt I would have received this type of service minus a receipt and without a legitimate claim.

So next time you make a significant purchase think about storing away the receipt, it may just come in handy.